《Gengar in Stardew》 Parsnip Chapter [1] It¡¯s 9pm at Pierre¡¯s General Store and Abigail wished for nothing more than to conquer her fear of the unknown. All her life, her parents had treated her like a child. Sheltered and alone growing up had made Abigail less confident in her abilities as a grown-up. Sometimes a dubious frown would cross Caroline¡¯s face as she glanced at her daughter, wondering why on earth does she love to stay in her room so much. But what they didn¡¯t know was that whenever night came, Abigail would sneak out to the mountain lakes alone and experience nature coming alive on its own. Every night would be one huge magic show where night would shadow the mountain valley like a blanket, lake waters rippling with potential and the wind blowing over her skin like a promise. She reveled in the nightly experience and at times, she would even practice playing her flute and pretend she was part of the magic show of nature. Out there in the night next to the lake where crickets accompany her tunes, it was the only place she ever felt like she belonged. Fitting into place like a piece of a long-forgotten puzzle. And yet tonight, even as she slunk into the kitchen, keeping into the shadows with her bare toes. There was a roiling restlessness in the pit of her belly. Past the kitchen and into her mother¡¯s greenhouse, she carefully made her way behind the bushes on the corner right. Over there was a secret door on the ground hidden by the bushes. Her mom didn¡¯t know that Abigail was using it at a daily basis. And if she did, Caroline never made it known that she knew her own daughter was sneaking out through her backdoor. It led out to a dark tunnel, a quick 2 minute sprint to the end but Abigail made sure her steps were light on the underground dirt floor, taking her sweet time. As she took this path every night, she made every precaution not to wear out a path to alert her own mother about her covert activities. Abigail didn¡¯t have the heart and courage to explain to her mother about how she had to go.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. She had to. There was an arcane atmosphere at night, a mysterious energy about in the wind that invigorated her body to full alertness. How could she even explain that? It sounded crazy thinking about it in her own mind. Though her mother finding out was the least of her worries. There was something about this night, about what was to come, about what was ahead of her that set off her nerves to a dancing electric wildfire. Danger ahead, her intuition prodded at her. She would have stayed home but she tried sleeping it off and yet her nerves never settled. Let¡¯s just get this over with, she thought. Reaching at the end of the tunnel, pushing open its door that connected to an abandoned kitchen of the community center. Cracked tiles were chipping off its walls and the pungent putrid smell of hidden decay wafted to her nose. It was the smell of decaying apples. Yet no matter how much she searched the desolate community center, she couldn¡¯t find its source.So she soldiered on to the front door. Her feet quickly finding the steps on the aging wooden floor where it didn¡¯t hold creaks. Finally, the fresh clean burst of the night greeted her as she pushed the community doors open, settling her nerves for a moment before it thrummed a hectic livewire again. Bright lights caught her attention at the corner of her eye and she immediately looked up to the velvet night sky. A gasp fell on her mouth as she spied a purple streak of fire razing a path across the stars. And it was heading dangerously close to the mountains where she and Sebastian would sit by the lakes and take long hours in mutual contemplative silence. Her shut-in bestfriend didn¡¯t have a habitual bone in his body. Sebastian was unpredictable. He could be up there at the lakes right now. Or not. He better not be. Maru was currently at a science camp, Demetrius in a convention at Nova Scotia and Robin got held up at Zuzu city, trying to negotiate her lumber order. Heart hammering at Abigail¡¯s chest, she sprinted up the mountains at full speed. Falling comets from the sky could set off an explosion that will spark a fire in their forest. She had to run up there at Sebastian¡¯s to warn him. As far as she knew her bestfriend, he could more likely sleep off a 24-hour parade next to his house without him being the wiser. Heck, as a matter of fact, the guy slept through a full-on earthquake when they went camping as kids. He couldn¡¯t have grown out of that, could he? Tomato Chapter [2] Abigail banged on Sebastian¡¯s front door, screaming and shouting to no avail. Once again she cursed Stardew valley for not having the decency to acquire a very necessary cellphone service for the entire area. Stardew valley was a deadzone for wireless connectivity. She heard Sebastian¡¯s mom Robin was planning on purchasing one for telephone service but it can¡¯t come anytime sooner. She gave their ornate wooden door another hard slap before glaring down hard at it. Off to her left, there was a modest purple fire that burned from the huge chunk of comet rock. It fell solidly on the ground next to the cave mines, and yet the strange fire glowing off it wasn¡¯t emitting any smoke. There had to be something alien about it, something phenomenally unknown that made her heartbeat stop dead on its tracks each time she looked at it. Glancing back at Sebastian¡¯s, she made a decision. One his dad Pierre could afford. After pulling out a picnic blanket off her backpack, she draped it over her head until its wooly fabric covered her from head to toe. Then she snapped her elbow back and gauged blindly, levelling her fisty end towards their window. ¡°Abigail!¡± came a voice. The picnic blanket was pulled from her head and she looked up to see defined grooves between Sebastian¡¯s brows. A deep black ink swirling in the orbs of his eyes. Cool porchlight making his features even more severe. ¡°What the fuck Sebastian!? I had been yelling, screaming for about a full solid minute. Where the fuck were you? Burying your head in the sand!?¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. A cool brow lifted as a fresh breeze wafted his strong cigarette scent. ¡°I was listening to music. Can¡¯t have heard you from the lakes.¡± Her eyes bugged out, ¡°From the lakes? Did you see the comet?!¡± She looked behind him to find it disappeared. ¡°The comet that crashed here. It was here right next to the mines. You can¡¯t have missed it. I saw it fall. Right over there!¡± She pointed to an empty space over the lake horizon where a purple rock used to glow. But the alien thing was gone. The corners of his mouth pulled down to a harsh frown. ¡°You should go home, Abigail.¡± He glanced at his window then down to the blanket in his hand, shaking his head. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to think about what you¡¯re planning to do. You¡¯re out of your mind. Go home.¡± She stepped past him, walking closer to the direction of the disappearing comet. ¡°It was right there. I saw it go.¡± She said, then peered back over her shoulder to find Sebastian slamming his front door close behind him. As if on cue, nocturnal birds in trees and crickets swelled their music open. Awareness prickled at her skin, making their hairs stand on edge. Cascading notes of the night symphony sending shockwaves of alertness to her mind. She was alone, standing there in front of her bestfriend¡¯s house. Surprisingly enough, she never felt more in place with the world. As it always did, the night invigorated her. Giving her strength and courage and clarity. It must have been why her steps took a consciousness on its own, taking strides forward to the cave mines. Corn Chapter [3] The comet had buried itself halfway in the autumn ground. It certainly looked that way moments ago but now Abigail wasn¡¯t so sure. The dry knoll spattered with red grass she observed around her was completely undisturbed. A distant maniacal laugh echoed in the distance, inspiring big birds to squawk and flee their trees. It reminded Abigail of the myth of a spurned wife and betrayed lover who turned into a bitter green witch, vowing bad things to happen unto others as the world has done to her. Her mom used to terrify her into obedience with this maniacal hideous witch myth. But as she grew up the same bitterness grew into her heart and dreams, making her sympathize with the green witch. Every so often her laugh would echo ever so slightly across the valley and she would feel her heart swell for the witch in sympathy. But the one Abigail just heard wasn¡¯t from the usual witch. No. This one came from inside mines. And the very walls shook from its disturbing sound. She stepped across the entrance, wary. Vaulted beams of wood lined the cave walls going in. There was no welcoming door. It was an open archway framed by iron and wood. An inky blackness swirled as she took a cautious step towards it. No one would dare come in the caves at this time of night since it was dark, barren and rarely visited. Yet, the deep rumbly maniacal laugh taunted her. ¡°Abigail!¡± barked a gruff voice, it was older and in a rich baritone sending tingles under her skin. It was Alex. A retired ex-football star living with his grandparents. ¡°I could have sworn I seen a meteor going down.¡± He mumbled, scratching his head as brown locks of hair fell over his forehead. A squeal caught at her throat. ¡°I saw it too! A comet crashing down right here then it¡¯s gone. It¡¯s crazy!¡± He seemed to be wearing his running gear. Green jacket and what looked to be expensive designer sneakers. Shrugging, he said ¡°Ain¡¯t it a meteor?¡± ¡°Hardly the point, Alex.¡± She looked around the valley, ¡°It just disappeared. A huge chunk of rock gone. What the hell happened?¡± ¡°Maru will know.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you at all worried?¡± ¡°Be thinking a meteor crashing might be causing some ¡®splosion. It¡¯s fall, lot of dry shmutz lying around. Since..¡± he let a slow sweeping gaze on the valleys of mountains around them. ¡°No smoke. No fires. Guess there¡¯s no point to worry.¡± Her jaw dropped just as a mischievous rakish laugh echoed from levels underground. ¡°Don¡¯t you hear that?¡± Alex pushed forward without a moment¡¯s doubt. Firing floodlights from a mechanized lamp he held in his hand. ¡°That¡¯s odd.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± She hissed under a whisper, falling into step behind him keeping close to his back. ¡°The minecart looks like it¡¯s been used.¡± ¡°Eh? Thought it bogged for ages.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡± He budged the steel levers and swept a fine dust over a control dashboard. ¡°It isn¡¯t rusted. Even the buttons look brand new.¡± ¡°Really? Must have been the farmer.¡± she muttered. Offside their town, there was a complete beginner for a farmer from Zuzu city who had suddenly arrived to take over the abandoned farmhouse. Twice a week, the farmer would come bearing gifts for every townspeople and for some reason, isn¡¯t the talkative sort despite the farmer coming to socialize at a weekly basis. ¡°I truly didn¡¯t peg them to be tech savvy with 70¡¯s engines.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. On his hunches, Alex whistled as he spied underneath the dashboard. ¡°Completely functional. Not a speck of age.¡± Then he stood to his full height, both hands resting on his hips. ¡°You know I¡¯m not surprised. They did say their previous job was from a tech company.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it a call center?¡± Another hollowed laughter rumbled the cave walls. ¡°That¡¯s weird isn¡¯t it? Should we check it out?¡± Alex turned to her with a frown, blinking slow ¡°A what?¡± He looked around the shadowed cave with his lamp. ¡°Just a quake.¡± Narrowing her eyes at him, ¡°Don¡¯t you find it weird that a comet appeared and disappeared?¡± He rolled his eyes, a dimple appearing on his semi-bearded cheek when he smiled. ¡°We get weird stuff happening all the time. Don¡¯t mean we pry. Otherwise we end up like a madman in that tower.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t speak about things you barely know about, Alex.¡± A nervous chuckle bubbled out of him, ¡°I barely know about anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± She clipped, her echoes bouncing around the space. He sobered, peering down. His long brown lashes fanning over his cheeks. An otherworldly grace seemed to hung around him. She figured it was his simple humble quality about him that seemed entirely unnatural since the guy had a larger than life sports career that so few people can imagine. ¡°Of course, Abigail. Best to go home. Cave monsters get restless at this time of night.¡± She was tempted to leave. ¡°Should we go check it out?¡± Pointing at a ladder going underground, ¡°I mean we¡¯re already here. Aren¡¯t you curious at all?¡± He seemed conflicted. ¡°Abigail, I take care of two seniors back home. I can¡¯t be the reckless one. Let¡¯s not risk it. Come on. Don¡¯t your parents know you¡¯re out here all by yourself?¡± Her face heated in a blush. ¡°Fine. You go on ahead. I got me and my wicked kris. I can take of myself.¡± Alex glanced at the backpack she carried behind her and sighed. ¡°There is no reason for me not to believe you. Here. Take this.¡± He dropped a whistle made of heavy metal on her palm. It looked to be mechanized with gears, its weight unusually hefty. ¡°I¡¯ll stand by here waiting for you. Use that whistle once if you¡¯re in danger and I¡¯ll run out and send for the guild. Whistle three times if you¡¯re in immediate danger¡ª¡° ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± She said much too quickly, her heart and mind racing at the thought of going underground. Marlon has been guiding her several times in the past but never on her own. It seemed tonight that she was going at it alone with no guide. Chills raced up her spine about what was to come. The fear of the unknown was her ultimate crux. The reason she hasn¡¯t left Stardew Valley yet. If I could get through this, she thought. Then, sure as hell, I¡¯ll be braver, more sure about leaving this godforsaken valley. He raised his palms, ¡°Hey I take care of two elderly seniors 24/7. One sweet as sunshine and one cold as heck. I worry. Let me watch out for you.¡± ¡°I might take a while. A long long while. You don¡¯t have to¡ª¡° ¡°I want to.¡± She pursed her lips, conflicted about arguing further. Abigail was no stranger to Alex¡¯s football career. In each of his games, she had watched how at times in the middle of the game comes a point where he gets this gleam in his eyes. A determined spark that broke the most formidable barriers in every one of his games. And it¡¯s the one he¡¯s giving her now. This man won¡¯t be moved. ¡°All right.¡± She sighed. ¡°Look we don¡¯t know what just happened out there. Something from the sky fell across this cave and it disappeared. I¡¯m getting the feeling that it might have something to do in here so you staying here could be dangerous. At least.. how about..¡± Her gaze wandered around the dirt cave. ¡°Have you got a weapon on you?¡± ¡°No. I only came out of my house for a run.¡± Before he could say more, Abigail swiped his lamplight off him and searched at the corners. ¡°Wait. What are you doing?¡± ¡°There it is.¡± She pried open a wooden chest seated right next to a broken elevator and dug around. ¡°Should you be doing that?¡± he asked, worried. From the bottom of the chest, she lifted off a rusty sword and a wooden mallet before setting it down on top off the chest pile. ¡°This is the guild¡¯s storage chest. They put unwanted items off their backpacks to lessen weight when exploring caves. It¡¯s basically just trash and they don¡¯t ever go back to it. But they suppose it could prove useful to someone else in case of emergencies.¡± She presented the two weapons to him on each hand. ¡°And this is definitely an emergency. Which one you think best suits you?¡± Melon Chapter [4] Alex stood sentry at the underground opening with a long abyssian ladder that Abigail had climbed down to. Peering down, he studied the wooden frame surrounding the opening and found it engraved with strange markings he can¡¯t understand. The markings seem to be all over the frame and it seemed to extend towards the ladder. ¡°Woah.¡± A sharp exhale left him as he leaned in closer to see the ladder disappearing into a yawning darkened abyss. He spied that each rung was carved with markings and he suddenly had an urge to read it. But what is it? What does it say? Laughter bloomed behind him. It was the same laughter he heard before; clear as bells, sweet as candy and most of all, shrill. It sounded a lot like a baby. And he knew there were no families living in these mountains with little kids. If there were, who was watching them? Are they safe? He pushed to his feet, and made a broad sweep around him with his lamplight. There. A small shadow quickly hid behind the wooden barrel that was leaning its debilitated frame against a dirt wall. Bursts of muffled giggles sprang free from behind the barrel. ¡°Hey, kid! You lost?¡± Alex heard a scuffle of feet before something, small thuds of a feet like a baby toddler would make. Then something tiny stepped out of the shadows and into the light. It was the size of a cotton candy, big brown ears and stubby arms and legs. It blinked up at him with an electric buzzing glee, bounding to him at the same time using its short stubby legs. Alex nearly stumbled as he planted his knee onto the dirt. He has never seen anything from the animal kingdom like this before. When it jumped with a gleeful, ¡°Faa! Ffa¡± it sang in merry tune. It looked to be floating in its movement before coming back down. It reminded him of an astronaut moving on the moon. He tried catching it with both hands and succeeded on the first try. It wasn¡¯t hard. The little thing moved about like gravity had a little hold on it. ¡°Hey, pretty thing. Are you here with someone? Wouldn¡¯t want you getting lost around here. Pretty dangerous.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. At that, it turned to face him fully, eyes growing wide. Its black orbs for eyes reminded him of a little bird¡¯s. Then its pert nose sniffed. It sounded like it was choking. ¡°Oh no.¡± He had been around enough of his nieces back in the city to know what a disastrous bawling would soon follow after an upset face like this baby animal was exhibiting. ¡°Sha sha sha!¡± He cooed without thinking better about it. ¡°Sha sha sha.¡± Rocking the upset little animal, he found the poofy pink curl sitting on top of its head bounced. And then he spied a red blush beginning to form on its pink cheeks, ¡°Cleffa?¡± It sang in a sweet tune, seeming chastised. Tips of its big brown ears perking up and down. It lifted its stubby hand, reached up and patted his nose repeatedly. ¡°Sha sha sha!¡± it began mimicking. Upon closer inspection as their gazes met, Alex found that the pink animal resembled the shape of a star. ¡°Star?¡± He mumbled more to himself as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. Without missing a beat, it said ¡°Fa!¡± ¡°What?¡± Slowly, ¡°Ffffaaaa!¡± Then it nodded with authority. Unsure, he began ¡°Star..¡± It immediately followed it with a hearty, ¡°Fa.¡± ¡°Starfa.¡± He grinned. Completely satisfied, Starfa¡¯s smile began to grow bigger. Eyes twinkling as an inner white glow bloomed from within its cotton candy body. Then, they both heard a whistle from underground. Followed by another, and Abigail for the final time whistled again. Abigail¡¯s danger cut through the oddity of the moment, and he set Starfa down on top of a barrel and began to lift the wooden mallet over his shoulder. ¡°You stay here. Your family should soon realize you¡¯re missing and come looking for you, okay?¡± Shadows crossed Starfa¡¯s face, bouncing on her feet as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. ¡°Stay put. You¡¯ll be safe here.¡± Alex said before descending down the mines. Blueberry Chapter [5] There was something about that sound of mania that pulled at Abigail, tugging at her to discover whatever it is. She could almost laugh at her own situation but she didn¡¯t dare make a sound. Stray cave monsters grew hostile at noises and it was best to keep being silent as she went. Exactly like my games, she thought to herself. Her strange situation matched to one of those hidden object games she liked to play wherein a detective follows a mysterious path to a circus, guided by the sound of merry laughter. Excitement coursed through her veins the more she descended down the cave ladder. What was she doing? This was dangerous. She defeated slimes levels earlier and their blob splatters on her were giving her a slight singe. There was literal poison burning on her skin. It wasn¡¯t that dangerous. But still. She should go back. Although, she was really really close to finding out what sort of cave monster was making that odious laugh. She released the rung of ladder she was holding onto, and made a 3-point landing on ground dirt, inspiring a flurry of black specks flying in the air. Her own flashlight that she belted to loop around her pant leg had only extended light to little much of her surroundings so she would have to walk to every nook and corner of this place to find that source of laughter. She was sure that this was the level where she had heard of it. She was sure as day. ¡°Well, well.¡± said a man who just stepped out of the shadows. It was her father, Pierre, wearing his usual cream-colored sweatshirt and brown loafers. ¡°Abigail.¡± He growled her name in disgust, a disapproving frown curling at the sides of his mouth. She flinched at his voice. There was something about his father. Every time she came into a room where he was, he would immediately voice his demands. Give out chores, hand out trivial labors and effectively keeping her out. Each time she would answer to his calls and fulfill those demands which are largely about house chores and store labor then after all that, he would go about treating her as if she was invisible again. As though her only value to him was her usefulness. Discarded the moment she fulfilled her duties. It¡¯s the reason why she avoided him. The man who was supposed to be her father treated Abigail as a pair of hands like it was all she was good for. Anything else she did he would outright ignore. Her mom would try to compensate by giving her extra attention but honestly, Abigail can¡¯t bring herself to admire a mother who chooses every day to be with Pierre whose attitude bore anything but respect to both of them. The man simply terrified her mother. No more so to Abigail. All the color she wore on her outfit at a daily basis was an armor that reminded her she was her own person and that nobody can make her feel weak without her consent. But the hard look of her father was straight-up terrifying especially when it was directed at Abigail. It was the same look he would get whenever he starts counting the cash register at the end of a work day, a grim aura shutters over him and it seemed like he could just about snap at any moment. And that was the last thing her mother and Abigail wanted.Stolen story; please report. ¡°D-dad?¡± The word left her in soundless breath, fear was a ball of emotion stuck in her throat. Then he chuckled, a red menacing glint sparkling in his glasses. That was when she looked up to him, and up and up and up. She realized her butt was sitting on the dirt, her hands gripping on the ground for support. She felt weak and terrified. The claustrophobic intimacy of the darkened mines only adding to her panic. The whistle! That¡¯s right Alex gave her a whistle. The ex-quarterback can for sure make her dad think twice about hurting her. Because what Pierre valued above all else was reputation. That¡¯s how he kept their shop above ground for so many years while in stiff competition against Joja mart. He would always whinge and complain about it to anyone with ears. The unfortunate situation was that he had a daughter, an entire family to keep providing food for at their table. Playing the victim. Playing the underdog to pull at the heartstrings of simple townspeople. It was all an illusion, of course. When the front doors are closed, he becomes an overbearing commander who gets to decide what they can or can¡¯t eat. And it was always the produce that was already past its expiry date. To him, she wasn¡¯t a daughter or even a person for that matter. She was just a mouth to feed and an extra set of hands when necessary. To him, Abigail¡¯s jilted feelings and destructive thoughts never mattered. To him, her only value was what she cost in relation to his business. ¡°What do we have here?¡± Rather forcefully, he stooped down and tugged her backpack free off her shoulders, leaving a painful abrasion on her arm. He towered over her, the measly flashlight hanging limply from her belt was illuminating his features in a harsh fluorescent light. Then he zipped down her pack, pushing it wide open with both hands. Then came the change. It came instantaneous. Abigail had a hard habit of putting in dried fragrant wisteria in her pack¡¯s pockets. She can¡¯t get enough of it. The smell reminded her of wide open spaces in autumn. It reminded her of the lakes, of the sea, of the special Stardew sky and just about everything wonderful in life that made her feel good. Like a mythical talisman, the powerful wave of scent broke through her emotions, cutting through her fear. It gave her enough strength and sense to pull out the whistle in her pockets. And to blow on it. Three times. She needed a witness. A civilian presence that correlated to Pierre¡¯s high social reputation. Because she wasn¡¯t too keen to find out what will happen if he didn¡¯t get hyperconscious about what his image would look like to his precious townspeople. She didn¡¯t want to relive again in what Pierre will do if he wasn¡¯t caught in the trappings of his social and public image. Because behind closed doors, his dad becomes someone else entirely. And it was more terrifying than the cave monsters at night. Rhubarb Chapter [6] ¡°Be there quick, Abigail!¡± Alex shouted down the hatch as he clicked his lamplight around his belt loop. He began descending on the ladder with deft careful precision, skipping a few rungs as he went. Down deeper at the mines, Abigail pushed to her feet, rising. Pierre had been frozen, awe-struck at what¡¯s inside her pack. ¡°Garrrrrr?¡± He rumbled, the sound gritty like garbled gravel. Confusion stopped her from whistling another call for help. That didn¡¯t sound like her dad. Pierre adjusted his eyeglasses as his eyes went fully red. Skin darkening to a purplish shade of blue then the edges of his body turned phantasmagoric as he shrank down and down to the size of a basketball. ¡°Gar! Gar! Gar!¡± It turned to a strange purple creature, babbling excitedly with a Cheshire grin. Her backpack had dropped to the floor and was strewn open haphazardly. Then the creature climbed into it, giggling as he went. The grim atmosphere soon shifted the moment the shadowy animal was gone out of sight. In a heartbeat, Abigail rushed forward and zipped up her pack in record speed, flung the front flap to strap it close and looped the laces around it over and over again until the knots coiled tight. Right in time, Alex jumped from above causing bits of shale and rocks to fly upon his impact. ¡°I¡¯m here! Where is it?¡± He pulled a mallet strapped from his back and levelled it in front of him, ready for a fight. Abigail clutched her backpack close to her chest with both arms, hugging it. ¡°I think I just discovered a new cave monster.¡± She said breathless and in shock. ¡°Where?!¡± He grew alert, swinging his mallet around in anticipation. ¡°Right here. In my backpack.¡± He stepped closer, ¡°Are you good? Are you hurt?¡± ¡°Nothing serious.¡± ¡°Fa fa fa!¡± A sweet tune bubbled up from inside Alex¡¯s jacket. Alex gasped as he carefully extricated a pink cotton candy ball with large perky brown ears. ¡°Starfa.¡± she sang, blowing on the stray pink curls covering half of its eyes. ¡°Geezus! What is that?¡± she exclaimed. Starfa gave a bigger toothy smile at Abigail¡¯s shock, wiggling one hand in a regal wave. A single hand wave emitted pulses of shiny pink light that dissolved into Abigail¡¯s skin. It had a refreshing effect like she was breathing in clean air into her lungs. ¡°Woah! That felt wonderful.¡± Alex gave a disbelieving chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s a fairy, isn¡¯t it?¡± A glint of understanding lighted up Abigail. ¡°Of course! Do you think.. they might come from the comet we¡¯ve just seen?¡± ¡°They?¡± Curious, she opened her pack tentatively. ¡°Garr.¡± it growled, jumping straight out of the pack. Abigail caught it easily with a sweep of her arm, caging it against her chest in a hug. ¡°I would have thought it was one of those shadow beings but its purple shade is nothing like I¡¯ve ever seen before.¡± Alex stepped back, shielding his pink ball of cotton candy ¡°Is it dangerous?¡± She pondered over their earlier encounter, ¡°It can shape-shift. Terrified the hell out of me.¡± ¡°What do you think it wants? What is it here for?¡± The purple monster had its one ear perking slightly but it seemed transfixed by the amethyst it was currently holding. It seemed to be slowly discovering the stone¡¯s refined planes. The shadowy creature was rapt in observing how the amethyst was catching light. ¡°I don¡¯t know. But Marlon is gonna want to hear about this. Best we get this to him.¡±A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Alex¡¯s brows almost reached his hairline in surprise, ¡°Abigail I¡¯ve seen the man cage up skeletons for entertainment. Against their will. This monster, if it even is a monster, means no harm.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know anything.¡± She frowned, ¡°The city¡¯s changed you, Alex. I¡¯ll have you know that we¡¯re far away from a city. Around here, we can¡¯t be complacent around monsters.¡± ¡°Yeah? Then why haven¡¯t you cut it up yet with your trusty wicked kris? Why are you holding it like it¡¯s not gonna bite you?¡± When she didn¡¯t answer, he continued. ¡°You know there is something different with these... creatures. And it¡¯s not dangerous. It¡¯s special. Are you really gonna give that away to some old mountain man who doesn¡¯t know how to work a radio?¡± ¡°Hey. That¡¯s Marlon you¡¯re talking about. He has saved more lives than you care to think. You can¡¯t dismiss his wisdom just because he¡¯s old and out of date.¡± ¡°I can.¡± He said with a hard stare. ¡°It¡¯s long been proven in this century that creatures living here have autonomy on their own, thoughts and feelings. And yet that old man don¡¯t even acknowledge a whack of it.¡± ¡°Careful there, Alex. You¡¯re starting to sound like a Gotoro sympathizer.¡± He leaned back, shrugging off a shoulder. ¡°I refuse to have any more killed tonight. Monster or not. Even so, these monsters.. these creatures that live here, this place is their home. And we¡¯re trespassing. We should go.¡± ¡°Gar! Garr!¡± Said the purple creature excitedly, red eyes glowing stronger as he nodded at Alex with a grin. ¡°He knows what I¡¯m talking about.¡± She gritted, ¡°He?¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to deny it. What¡¯s his name?¡± ¡°Does he need to have a name.¡± She said, rolling her eyes. ¡°Starfa seems to love it.¡± He patted a clinging cotton candy-sized ball to his green jacket. ¡°She lights up. Go on. Try.¡± Abigail slanted her eyes and stepped forward. ¡°Starfa?¡± Starfa bounced in delight, landing on Abigail¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Oh geez!¡± ¡°Chill!¡± He chuckled, ¡°She¡¯s completely harmless.¡± Starfa started tutting at her with authority, making disapproving noises as she wiped Abigail¡¯s dirt-splattered cheek. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. Thank you, Starfa.¡± ¡°Fa fa.¡± She sang with a graceful nod. Alex plucked back Starfa to his shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s almost like she understood you.¡± She levelled her gaze at Starfa, ¡°Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± Her stubby legs flailed wildly when she jumped, seeming to float as she came back down ¡°Fa fa.¡± Then Abigail lifted up the purple creature and levelled her gaze at him. ¡°Can you understand me?¡± A laugh full of mischief bubbled out of him. Alex said fondly, ¡°That laugh reminds me what a prankster Shane used to be when we were little.¡± She didn¡¯t break her stare and continued, ¡°Were you about to hurt me?¡± The purple creature looked genuinely surprised and shook his head. ¡°Well that does it.¡± She mumbled. ¡°What are you gonna do?¡± Sighing, ¡°I just want this night to be over and done with. C¡¯mere lil¡¯ monster, gimme back my amethyst and we¡¯ll be out of your smooth shadowy hair.¡± He appeared affronted, hugging the amethyst and treating it with a reverence usually reserved for religious sacraments. ¡°That¡¯s my amethyst.¡± She seethed, pointing daggers at him. ¡°Abigail, just let it go. You can get another one.¡± ¡°No it¡¯s mine. I worked hard for it. And he¡¯s taking it away.¡± The purple creature released his purple jaw, elongating it to a wide stretch until his tongue whipped out lashing at Abigail. With a turn of her head, she dodged it. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Starfa quickly sang a merry tune that took the creature¡¯s attention away from Abigail then with her sweet voice, she chilled it down to a lulling tune, effectively putting him to sleep. Wordlessly, Abigail began gently setting down the creature on the floor. ¡°I¡¯ll just set it down and go.¡± She plucked the amethyst back to her pocket with no resistance. ¡°Uh, Abigail. You can¡¯t do that. Other cave dwellers might eat this one alive.¡± ¡°So?¡± Alex gave her a chastising look. She raised her arms in surrender, ¡°Fine! Fine. We¡¯ll take the purple monster back to base level where it¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°Where Marlon and other guild fighters will likely find and hack him to pieces in the morning? You gotta give him a better chance than that.¡± ¡°Easy for you to say. Your newly discovered creature is as harmless as a fly while mine scared me halfway to death.¡± He shrugged, ¡°So he¡¯s a little bit of a prankster.¡± ¡°Prankster?¡± She said, incredulous. ¡°He shape-shifted into my dad!¡± His eyes narrowed, ¡°Why is that a bad thing?¡± Her shoulders drooped, sighing in defeat. ¡°Nevermind. Let¡¯s just go.¡± Picking up a sleeping lil¡¯ prankster off the floor, she put him back to her pack. ¡°I want this night to be over with.¡± Strawberry Chapter [7] ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re not half as shocked as I am.¡± She said to him when they reached the base level of the mines. ¡°You hear things at Zuzu city. Takes time for some getting used to with the culture¡¯s eccentricities but it isn¡¯t impossible. Have you ever been?¡± She stopped dead in her tracks as they emerged out of the cave mines. The moonlight reflecting on the lakes in front of them. ¡°I really don¡¯t get your nonchalance about this whole thing. They¡¯re aliens!¡± ¡°Thought you liked aliens. I see you play those alien games back at the saloon.¡± ¡°Yeah. In. My. Games. This could be dangerous. We can¡¯t be carrying them back to our homes.¡± ¡°Sure, we can.¡± ¡°Garrr!¡± The purple creature protruded its head out of her pack, her amethyst still in its clutches. Alex bent down and caught the creature¡¯s red glowing eyes, ¡°You got a name, lil¡¯ bud?¡± ¡°He¡¯s no buddy.¡± She mumbled. ¡°More like a pranking monster. A prankster.¡± He yipped, tongue lolling out of its mouth. Alex smiled, ¡°I think he likes that word. Do you want to be called prankster, lil¡¯ bud?¡± ¡°Gar! Gar!¡± It said all too happily. ¡°Prankster doesn¡¯t exactly roll off the tongue.¡± Her frown grew deeper. ¡°How about Jester?¡± she said and she was rewarded with a wet tongue swiping across her cheek. ¡°Gross.¡± Alex chuckled, ¡°That settles it. Looks like we got a Jester on our hands.¡± He winked before starting to walk back home. Abigail lifted Jester by his armpits, chonky legs swinging. ¡°You are not gonna make trouble for me, are you?¡± He giggled. She bit back a sigh, ¡°Do you want to come home with me or won¡¯t you like to stay here in the mines?¡± Jester scampered across her arms and dove in back inside the pack where her amethyst stones were neatly piled. With a bitter sigh, she began hiking back down the mountains following a single trodden path. By the time she got down, sunlight was already peaking around the horizon. There she met Alex who was standing by in front of the community center, his keen eyes observing the dilapidated place. ¡°No one ever comes here.¡± He said when she reached him. ¡°They should be safe here.¡± Without missing a beat, she said ¡°Go on. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± Abigail and Alex quickly went to work inside the community center by clearing out a space next to its main living room fireplace. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The ex-football jock had gathered spare pillows he dusted off, setting it on the floor like a bed. Then he raised a brow at her, ¡°You know you gotta give one of those gems away?¡± She nodded. ¡°I guess I can mine some more later.¡± ¡°You saving up for something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m buying an apartment at Zuzu city. When I have time, I mine for Clint and save up money.¡± ¡°Yeah? How much do you need?¡± ¡°10,000. I got about 8,000 left to make.¡± He chuckled, shaking his head. ¡°You know what? I can write you a check for it.¡± A spark of ire bloomed in her temples. The nerve of him! ¡°Of course you can. You¡¯re famous and rich.¡± ¡°Not so much anymore.¡± He smiled kindly. Starfa came out from the left hallway holding an armful of flowers and was decorating near Alex. ¡°I meant I would write you a check for whatever you need left.¡± She grunted, frowning at the pillow bed she was making with bitter distaste ¡°Don¡¯t you need the money for taking care of your grandparents?¡± ¡°I do. But I got friends to help me when I¡¯m lacking. I want to be that friend for you.¡± ¡°Fine. But don¡¯t tell anyone you¡¯re helping me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all good.¡± He smiled. ¡°It will be our secret to keep.¡± Jester crawled to the pillow bed that Abigail was making. He seemed to be taken with the dried wisteria sprinkled on it. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to bring fresh ones next time.¡± She said to him, handing him the biggest piece of raw amethyst. With widening eyes, the little monster dropped his amethyst piece like a hot potato, and gave a full-body hug to her biggest piece. ¡°Garrr¡± he rumbled contentedly. For a brief moment there, Abigail thought she saw the gem glow to vibrant pink but it was gone the next second. ¡°Strange.¡± She mumbled. Alex shrugged as he rose to stand, ¡°Stranger things happen in Stardew Valley.¡± He held out a hand for her to stand and she took it. ¡°If you want out, you¡¯re out. I can help you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to talk to my mom first. I¡¯m not leaving without her.¡± ¡°Suit yourself. I¡¯ll be here living next door to yours, when you¡¯re ready.¡± She blushed, ¡°Thanks, Alex. It¡¯s very generous of you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Then he held up a finger, ¡°One more thing.¡± He went back on his haunches to address Starfa. ¡°Hey lil¡¯ cotton ball, I know you can understand me. Don¡¯t you go back to the cave mine, ok?¡± Starfa tilted her head, a questioning glint in her widening eyes. ¡°Cle fffffa?¡± ¡°The cave mines are home to bigger, stronger creatures that will bite and eat you at first sight. So don¡¯t go at it alone, ok? Have me come with you. And maybe your friend here?¡± He gestured at Jester. Starfa followed the direction he was pointing and found Jester trying to bite into his amethyst. Then she stared hard at Alex, pouting and shaking her head vigorously. ¡°Not a fan? Give him some time, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get along.¡± He said, finally pushing to his feet. ¡°Well then, it¡¯s getting¡ª Abigail?¡± He turned around, searching for the punk girl living next door to him but she was gone. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. What he knew was that her family was a primary cluster of the town¡¯s gossips. He wouldn¡¯t hold it against her if she wanted to get away. Heck, he did when he was younger. And he had to work all-out and fight tooth and nail to get to where he is. It was a path of cruelty and lots of unnecessary suffering he didn¡¯t want another to suffer. So if by any means, he could help then he would help. Yoba knows that no one did for him when he was younger. He might as well be the change he wanted to see in the world. And it starts with Stardew Valley. It starts with him. Amaranth Chapter [8] [Final] Abigail woke up in her bed feeling more refreshed than she had ever felt before, even though she only had 2 hours sleep. The sun shone past her windows, streaming in the brightest rays of autumn sunshine. ¡°Gar! Gar!¡± She heard a grumbly voice say. Much too peppy for early morning, she thought. And it sounded way too close. After a solid second, the connection snapped in her brain and she jumped up to sit straight on her bed with Jester rolling off her face onto her lap like a theme park ride. A loud giggle bubbling off him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be at the center? How did you get here?¡± In a flash of a moment, he went non-corporeal and floated like a ghost, his colors disappearing until he was invisible to the eye. ¡°Boo!¡± He surprised behind her, chuckling. Abigail yelped loudly with a start. Then she pushed off her bed with a grunt and glared at him in full height. Jester began hopping on one foot and dropped his brows in a more vicious glare. They stood there battling wills in a stare-down before Caroline walked in without knocking. ¡°Something¡¯s happened.¡± Her mom grabbed her by the arm, walking out ¡°Your dad won¡¯t wake up. Watch over him while I go get Harvey.¡± ¡°Wait, mom! Why isn¡¯t he waking up?¡± She looked bewildered, having just woken up. Her hair was in a messy shape, clothes mussed up from yesterday, and it didn¡¯t seem like she had time to wash her face. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He woke me up with his nightmares and he doesn¡¯t wake up to whatever I do. I have to go quick. See that your dad doesn¡¯t get himself hurt while I¡¯m away. Quick!¡± Shocked, she watched her mom leave through the front door and she walked stiff towards her parent¡¯s bedroom, unsure what she will find on the other side. Terror gripped her hard by the throat and it felt like ice, chilling and running through her whole body. Reaching out for the door knob, she pushed it open. Her dad, Pierre, was flailing with wild gestures in his sleep like he was fighting something off. He rolled from side to side and his breaths were coming in heavy. There was a pale sheen to his skin, a stiffness to his movements. It almost looked like he was having a hard time breathing. ¡°Garrr.¡± Jester passed through the wall from her bedroom like he was made of air. ¡°Garr garrrr¡± he said in a melodious rumble, his eyes spinning in wild phantasmagoric colors. Pierre¡¯s struggle intensified, his groans becoming faint. There was a weakness to him that started settling the more he struggled. Abigail moved across him next to the footboard and watched him fight an invisible fight. The same way she had been fighting growing up. The man he called her father built a near pristine reputation, larger than life and admirable to all who knows him. No one would believe about his abuse behind closed doors. Heck, even Sebastian had a hard time believing her. Most times his abuse didn¡¯t feel like a fight but more of an endurance, a gargantuan endurance that demanded a lot of mental and emotional strength. But those two strengths were invisible, and what a fool she would make if the truth ever came out. Her scars were in her heart, not in her body. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. As Pierre weakened from his struggles, Abigail¡¯s heart burned with the scars, burned with a vengeance. The man was fighting an invisible like she did for years. Let him suffer as she did. After seeing the poor man struggle for a few moments, a sense of intuition prodded at her. It must be Jester¡¯s presence that is causing all this. After all, this has never happened before. Inside her pockets, she fished for a small piece of amethyst. She never goes anywhere without the purple gem. It has become a superstition that calmed her whenever she grew depressed. It was when those usual annoying thoughts came her way that holding a piece of the purple stone was key to warding them all off. It was stupid. But then again, she has been feeling stupid for a long long while. The moment she plucked it out in the open Jester lost his color-chaotic gaze. Instead it diminished down to a red purplish hue, reminding her of this strange creature¡¯s potential. ¡°What power you have, lil¡¯ monster.¡± She said, waving the piece of amethyst to his rapt attention. With pride, ¡°Gaaaar.¡± he said. The sound resounding from deep within his chest. She pointed at Pierre, ¡°Aren¡¯t you hurting him? Stop it.¡± At that, she noticed the air around them became less stifling. Sunlight glowing stronger from the windows by each passing second. ¡°Good.¡± She curled open her fist that held the amethyst and offered it. ¡°Here. Take your prize.¡± Jester swiped it off her hand in a single flash. ¡°Gar gar!¡± He said victoriously. ¡°One more thing.¡± She said, offering another amethyst from her back pocket. ¡°Take away his nightmares, will you?¡± With questioning eyes, Jester faltered in his step. ¡°Gar gar??¡± The meaning of his gibberish seemed to settle in her mind and she replied to him without any doubt. ¡°I want to give him new ones. Both of us will. Together, okay?¡± There was a naughty gleam that filled up Jester¡¯s eyes. Jumping up on the bed next to Pierre¡¯s face, he released a long tongue with its end disappearing inside his dad¡¯s temple. He seemed to be feeding off him, sucking and lapping through like it was a gourmet parfait made in perfection. Soon footsteps thudded outside the door and Jester finally retracted his non-corporeal tongue. When she blinked, he was gone and she could hear the faint impish giggle through the wall to her bedroom. Caroline and Harvey along with Maru following closely behind started bursting through the door. They found Pierre in the middle of waking up and while the three of them fussed over him, Abigail leaned by the doorframe and thought about all the creative ways he could make more nightmares for Pierre now that she had a partner-in-crime whose specialty lies in terror and deception. The thoughts gave her an exciting thrill, it was nothing like she had ever felt before. Nothing has ever made her look forward to a future as she did right now. The potential for expressing herself in this purple and black color was innumerable, and she wanted to discover the many devious ways she could be. It fits. Like a piece of a puzzle coming back home. This was how she was meant to be. Destructive, devious and in a lot ways, pure unadulterated terror. The never-ending possibilities expanded in her sight, in her vision. Strange things in Stardew valley will only become stranger with Jester and Starfa running amok in the shadows. And she can¡¯t wait to observe what ruin they will bring to this awful town with its simple complacent townspeople who let a vile man like Pierre in their midst. What a fruitful destruction it would make. And like what the Stardew townspeople did to her, she would not lift a finger to help them in their struggles. Soon, she thought as she stepped back away from the chattering flurry inside her parent¡¯s bedroom. Soon they will pay. And she will watch them burn.